Anderson Afterthoughts

At the end of July, my husband and I bought another house. This one, we plan to call home. So, August and September have been a time of busy preparations...getting the new home live-in ready, and preparing the old house to be sold. But, the market is slow here, and not much happened in six weeks of trying to sell, so we've decided to rent it for a while and see how that goes. The new place is almost ready for us to reside in it. We have two weeks until we turn our home over to the renter, so by then the move will be complete. When my husband gets home, I'll have him upload some pics of the new place. I just wanted to explain why there has been absolutely no time for blogging. That's all for now!

Anderson Afterthoughts

Before June turns to July, I decided I'd better add something new to my blog so as to not lost all the reading audience I may have once had. I think this serves more as a journal than a way to keep others informed, since I only know of two or three people that ever read it. But, I did just spend the last hour reading over blogs of some of my friends who I have not been in touch with lately. I really enjoyed catching up with them with the help of blogspot.

During the month of May, my boys and I spent three weeks in CA with my family. We had a blast, and enjoyed the weather tremendously. I suspended all my responsibilities here in Centralia, so it took a little getting used to dealing with life again when we returned. Slowly but surely we are getting back into things. I will write more later about our CA trip, and I will publish some pictures. But, for now I need to get back to sleep before my little monkeys decide it is time to start a new day. Bye for now, Jeanie

Anderson Afterthoughts

Springtime is here in full swing and I am loving the weather. We took a roadtrip to Indianapolis for the past couple of days and had a lot of fun. One of my friends was going to visit her family so I invited myself and my boys to come along. Every few weeks I feel the need to skip town, so I'm always looking for an opportunity.

Today we spent two hours in Chuck E. Cheese - it truly is "where a kid can be a kid", and so can the grown-ups. My boys loved it. I love it when they squeal with delight over how much fun they are having.

"Bullfrog" is starting to stand up on his own and has taken 4 steps on his own, yet usually only one at a time falling down in between each one. He loves the attention he gets each time he stands back up! Watching kids learn to walk has got to be one of the most rewarding parts of parenthood. I'm loving it!

March 17, 2001

Five Eventful Years

Five years ago today my husband and I were sealed in the Oakland, California Temple. In some ways it seems like we've been married a lot longer than that, yet March 17, 2001 seems not too long ago. We have had a very eventful five years - and two wonderful little boys to show for it. I am very thankful for my patient and loving husband who has helped to make all my dreams come true. I know there are many experiences ahead of us, and I look forward with anticipation! I am thrilled to continue experiencing life with my best friend - the love of my life.

Anderson Afterthoughts

It's been almost a month, so time for an update again. I decided blogging once a month is a reasonable goal for this new year.

We are just plugging along with our lives here in Centralia. We've had a bunch of snow this week, which has made our city more beautiful, and more cold. Garrett started school again today, he is taking two classes this semester. He had two months off between semesters this time which was great! This semester marks his half way point, only three more to go.

My business is starting to pick up as Spring approaches. I went to the annual dinner and training conference for the company last month and was very inspired by it. I have been working harder since then to generate business in my area. If you haven't already, check out the website www.fsbolocal.com.
They are trying to expand nationwide this year, so anyone who is interested in a part-time job from home, give me a call.

Well, I really should be sleeping so I'll sign off. We've all been sick for a few days, so my sleeping schedule is off from all the naps. I hope we will recover soon. It is so sad to see my baby feeling so miserable. I hope he will return to his happy self very soon. Bye for now, Jeanie

A new favorite

I am happy to report that a new movie has replaced Star Wars as #1 on Boomer's favorite movie list. Garrett introduced him to "The Princess Bride" last week, and he abslolutely loves it. We have watched it at least twice a day since then. Boomer wants to have it on as background "noise" while he plays, and he'll just stop playing to watch his favorite parts. So, now we act out Pirates and Princesses instead of Jedis and Ewoks. Of course, Boomer still loves to play with his Star Wars toys and watch the movies, but at least we've added some variety to his interests. Who would have ever thought a three year old would love "The Princess Bride"... INCONCEIVABLE!

We are a happy family!

Happy New Year

We had a very pleasent December, and enjoyed all the time Garrett and I got to spend together with our boys. It was strange not to be around any family, but also nice to concentrate on our own little family. We had fun decorating our house, and the Christmas bush that we used for our tree. As you can see in the picture below, we have two beautiful boys who provide us with all the entertainment that we need.

We enjoyed a weekend with friends up in Normal, IL over New Year's weekend. We appreciated Garrett's parents willingness to let us stay at their house for the weekend even though they were gone in England.

It has been somewhat of a struggle to get back into the grind of everyday life this past week after the holidays. However, we are optimistic as we start a new year and look forward to a new year of adventures.

Lots of Love, Jeanie and family

p.s. check out Grandmasusie.com for more cute pics of our boys- yes we are bias, but there is no disputing how very good looking they are!

Anderson Family Christmas Letter 2005

Our family is celebrating its fifth Christmas together. Most have been here in Illinois, with Garrett's family. However, this year we'll have our first Christmas with just us. We are enjoying ourselves here in Centralia, Illinois, and looking forward to a wonderful holiday. Here's the year in review for each of us.

Garrett – I took a job, in April, at Centralia City Hall, as the Planning Director. I work with about a dozen different committees, with themes like Zoning, Parks, Historic Preservation, and Tourism. My various meetings and projects really keep me busy. I’m also taking masters degree classes, and trying to stay involved with my two church callings (membership clerk, and ward mission leader). I also likes singing in the church choir and with a local barbershop chorus.

Jeanie is quite busy at home with our boys. She’s a wonderful Mommy, and the boys love her so much. In her spare time, she tries to keep up her business of advertising for-sale-by-owner homes on the Internet (fsbolocal.com). She is also the Young Women’s President, and is active in a community playgroup at a local Christian church. Recently, she joined a community orchestra, so she can keep playing her trombone.

Solomon is three years old, need we say more. He’s challenging, but also adorable. We have to remind him that we are the parents, and he’s the little boy. He likes to give big hugs, especially to his little brother (that usually turns out more like wrestling). He likes Star Wars a lot, and is always talking about it. He also likes reading books and playing dress-up (especially as a Jedi). He’s likes going to his playgroups and his tumbling class.

Baby Jerry is as cute as can be. He’s very mobile, and loves going up the many stairs at our house. He calls each of us by name - Da Da, Ma Ma, and Ba Ba (Boomer). He’s starting to realize that he is part of a bigger world. He knows that he can get a reaction out of us, both for being cute, and for being mischievous. His favorite thing recently is turning off power strips. He is mesmerized by the little red light. That really frustrates Solomon when he’s watching a movie, or us when we’re working on the computer.


We hope you have a Merry Christmas and we thank you for taking the time to read our Christmas message. Please feel free to come and visit us whenever you are near, or can make the trip. As we come to another Christmas Day, we rejoice in the birth of our Savior and all the rich blessings he has granted us.

With Love,

Garrett, Jeanie, Solomon and Jeremiah

3 years of motherhood

My little boy turns three years old tomorrow. Wow! It has been a busy three years since Boomer came to join our family. He has brought so much happiness into our lives. He is worth every bit of misery I experienced during my pregnancy with him.

It is fun to see him as a big brother now. He loves to make Baby Jerry laugh, and sometimes he enjoys making him cry too. We are still working on that situation. Boomer often asks when Jerry will get bigger so he can play with him more. Yet, now that Jerry is mobile he is showing more interest in Boomer's toys. Boomer wants to play with his little brother, but doesn't want little brother to play with his toys.

The other day Boomer's star wars' toys were being threatened by little brother. He kept having to take them away from the baby so we were trying to teach him about sharing by explaining how fun it will be for them to play together with the toys. Boomer's comment of the night was,

"When my brother gets bigger, he won't play with my Star Wars guys anymore." Sorry to break it to you Boomer, but I'm afraid it will be just the opposite. The time has come for our young Padowan to learn to share. In the words of Yoda,
"Learn to share, he must!"

Happy birthday Boomer!

Star Wars

I am having to accept the fact that rather than raising a little boy, I am raising a future Jedi knight. Boomer is obsessed with anything related to Star Wars, thanks to his dad's constant guidance. I think my husband considers Boomer his young Padowan. It was all fun and cute for the first few weeks, but now it is getting old. Any suggestions on how to convince Boomer there are other things worth pursuing? He needs help becoming a more well rounded little man. His belly is well rounded, we just need to encourage more varied interests to match his tummy. It is pretty funny how he walks around quoting the movies and acting out his favorite parts. I get my hand cut off with a light saber multiple times each day. If you have not seen this website yet, check out www.storewars.net, it is a very funny spoof on Star Wars that Boomer loves to watch over and over again. Bye for now, I'm off to the galaxy of slumber land.

Motivational Evening

I always look forward to General Conference, because somehow when I listen to the words of our church leaders, I feel like everything is okay. Even though the world is in turmoil, and life can be extremely hectic, for the time being... all is well. Women's conference last Saturday evening was a wonderful preview of the outpouring of the Spirit that I experience every general conference. For those of you not yet clued in on what I'm talking about, the LDS church general conference takes place next weekend, Oct. 1 & 2nd and will be broadcast on www.lds.org.
Last Saturday we had the Women's session of the conference. The topic for the evening was, "Becoming an instrument in the hands of God." I went away from the evening more confident and motivated as a mother, wife, friend, sister and YW president. It is always nice to be reminded of the importance of the roles we carry out in our daily lives. One point made by Elder Faust has really stuck with me these past couple of days. "You may have the ability to touch a life for good that no one else can." I know if I strive to be worthy of the guidance of the Spirit, I will be guided to those who need me. Just as in the past, so many others have been placed in my path to help me. "God does notice us, and he watches over us, but it is often through another person that he meets our needs." I am thankful to be counted worthy as one my Savior can count on to help bless the lives of others.

Boston Trip

Hello to any of you who may be reading this,

We returned last Sunday from a 10 day vacation to Boston, MA where my parents (Bev and Jerry) are serving as missionaries for the LDS church. It was such a fun trip! We took the Amtrak train, which was much more comfortable for our boys than driving would have been, plus it was less expensive than gas would have been! After 30 hours of travel, we arrived at the Boston South Station where we were greeted by a grandma that was all smiles. She helped us out to the street where grandpa was waiting with a borrowed van necessary to transport us and all our stuff. It takes a lot of stuff to travel with two little boys for 10 days!

Our baby boy finally got to meet his grandpa Jerry who he was named after. Grandpa was quite taken with little Jerry, and we got some cute pictures of them bonding. This was the most interaction I've ever seen of my dad with a baby, it was cute.
Our trip was amazing, we saw lots of historic and beautiful places in the Northeast. But, I don't have time right now to write all about it. You can visit www.grandmasusie.com to see more pictures of our trip. I will write more later. Bye for now!

Balloon Fest

We had a houseful this past weekend for the Centralia Balloon Fest. It was great to see the true colors of this little city. For a city of 12,000 to pull off a big festival like the Balloonfest was really amazing. On Sunday morning I walked out my front door, and looked up to see 8 hot air balloons flying overhead. What a sight!
http://www.cityofcentralia.org. Check out the city website to see pictures.
(Garrett is the city webmaster) You can also see pictures on www.grandmasusie.com. Enjoy! Please comment if you've read this. I'm curious to see if anyone reads my blog

Boomer and Bullfrog

Boomer loves picnics

"We can have a picnic Mommy, that would be good", says Boomer as he sits down on the couch to eat his bedtime snack. He went on to say, "You sit right here mommy and have a picnic with me." We have enjoyed many picnics this summer. When we eat anywhere besides at the table, Boomer considers it a picnic. He helps us remember to cherish every moment, because from his perspective, life is a picnic. Though we experience ups and downs just like everyone else, we feel tremendously blessed with the way life is unfolding for our little family. I guess this blog goes along with the old saying of, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". After all, lemonade is the beverage of choice on a picnic.

sweet reminders

This morning, Boomer has been entertaining himself with toys and games, with the Teletubbies in the background- periodically catching his attention. He just came over to me at the computer and said, "Mommy, you forgot to play with me, mommy. You forgot to play with me." He had a sweet hopeful look on his face. Time to go play with my boys, and say goodbye for now to the computer. By the way, I think the teletubbies are really weird, but he likes them.

Quote of the Day

Anderson Afterthoughts
"If all the kids leave and the old people die, then there'll be nothing left."
Garrett, on Centralia - July 10, 2005

another funny Boomer story

Yesterday we were riding in the car, and I asked the boys what radio station they wanted to listed to, with the question mostly aimed at my husband. Boomer piped up with the following answer, " I want to listen to the train station mommy!" He's a funny kid, and he doesn't even know why he makes us laugh so much.